Logic GamesLogic & pattern practice
Tango guide
Learn balance, triples, and linked cells.
Puzzle practice guide
How to play Set
Find the third card by checking four features.
Practice Set online by finding three cards that satisfy the same-or-different rule across four features. Train systematic recognition first, then use faster rounds to test it. The key habit is to finish checking all features before selecting a visually tempting triple.
01 / The essentials
Set rules
- Choose three cards from the table.
- For each feature—number, color, shape, and shading—the three cards must be all the same or all different.
- A triple is invalid if any feature has two matching values and one different value. Features are checked independently.
02 / Build the habit
Set strategy
Build the required third card
Pick two cards. For a feature they share, the third must share it too. For a feature where they differ, the third must use the remaining value. This identifies one exact card to search for.
Scan one feature at a time
Start with a small group, such as cards of the same color. Search for valid combinations within that group, then move to triples using all three colors. A repeatable scan reduces duplicate work.
Check the easy-to-miss feature
Before selecting a set, explicitly check shading as well as number, shape, and color. Similar silhouettes can hide a two-same-one-different mismatch.
03 / Worked example
Construct a third card
Take one red solid oval and three red solid ovals. Color, shape, and shading are the same, so the third card must also show red solid ovals. The counts 1 and 3 differ, so the third card needs 2 ovals.
04 / Put it into practice
A Set practice plan
- Practice naming the required third card for a chosen pair before looking for it.
- Solve a board without rushing and verify all four features for every selection.
- Try a timed round once your checks are reliable. After a miss, identify exactly which feature invalidated the triple.
A common mistake
“Mostly the same” is not enough. A set can mix all-same and all-different features, but no feature may be two of one value and one of another.
Must every feature be all different?
No. Each feature can independently be all the same or all different. Three cards can share their color and shape while having three different counts and shadings.
Guide updated . Rules describe the version on Logic Games.